University of Kentucky law professor Ramsi Woodcock has sued the university and senior administrators in federal court, seeking to stop U.S. District Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove from taking office as dean of the J. David Rosenberg College of Law.
Woodcock filed Woodcock v. Van Tatenhove et al. in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky on 13 July 2026. The complaint names Van Tatenhove, UK President Eli Capilouto, Provost Robert DiPaola and the University of Kentucky as defendants.
It alleges that appointing Van Tatenhove over faculty opposition breaches Woodcock’s employment contract and university rules incorporating accreditation requirements.
The claim centres on standards issued by the American Bar Association, which accredits the law school. Woodcock argues that those standards discourage the appointment of a dean over the stated objection of a substantial majority of the faculty without good cause and generally require a dean to hold academic tenure unless extraordinary circumstances exist.
The complaint asks the court to block Van Tatenhove’s appointment and prevent future appointments or reappointments made against the wishes of a faculty majority.
The university announced Van Tatenhove’s selection in March. He joined the federal bench in 2006 following nomination by President George W. Bush and previously served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
DiPaola told a University of Kentucky Board of Trustees committee in April that the judge’s experience satisfied the extraordinary-circumstances provision. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear criticised the selection, while Republican figures defended it.
The federal docket shows that Woodcock also sought a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction and expedited discovery. He filed an amended restraining-order motion on 14 July and an emergency motion to expedite on 15 July. Judge Robert E. Wier recused himself under 28 U.S.C. §455, after which Chief District Judge David L. Bunning referred the matter to Sixth Circuit Chief Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton for reassignment. Van Tatenhove is due to start as dean on 20 July, according to the university.
University records state that the appointment followed the established dean-selection process and included consultation with faculty and other stakeholders. The university maintains that Van Tatenhove’s experience meets the extraordinary-circumstances provision in ABA Standard 203. Those arguments have not yet been tested in court, and the docket showed no substantive ruling on Woodcock’s request for emergency relief when this article was prepared.
Woodcock argues that University of Kentucky rules and his employment contract require compliance with ABA Standard 203. Lawyers advising on dean appointments should record the faculty’s views, confirm who has authority to make the appointment and explain any decision to appoint a candidate without tenure.
Van Tatenhove’s position as a serving federal judge has already led to recusals and the referral of the case for reassignment. A decision on Woodcock’s injunction request may assist counsel dealing with faculty opposition to appointments at other accredited law schools.